Walmart Int’l Names New Asda CEO
Roger Burnley will be promoted to the role of president and CEO of Asda, effective Jan. 1, 2018, succeeding Sean Clarke. Since October 2016, Burnley has been COO and deputy CEO of the U.K. supermarket retailer, whose parent company is Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc., joining the board after Clarke took the helm in July of that year.
Burnley was at Asda earlier in his career, working as director of supply, before moving on to work at such companies as rival U.K. grocer Sainsbury’s, where he spent 10 years in a variety of senior roles.
“Roger was purposefully brought back to Asda to partner with Sean ahead of the transition to Roger taking up the position of CEO,” noted Walmart International CEO Dave Cheesewright. “He and Sean have worked as a great team, and I’m really confident in Roger’s ability to continue building upon our returning momentum.”
Added Cheesewright: “After more than 21 years with the company, Sean has worked across five international markets, including serving as president and CEO of Walmart China, and obviously here in the U.K., too. He’s continually shown the ability to lead critical transformation, and the last 15 months are no exception. Sean will continue to lead Asda until the end of December, after which, he’s taking some time out and will then remain engaged with Walmart.”
According to published reports, including an article in The New York Times, the decision to replace Clarke with Burnley, while expected, was pushed forward in an attempt to revitalize Asda’s business in the face of stiff competition from the likes of hard-discounters Aldi and Lidl.
“Asda is a great business, and we’ve started to realize its potential again,” said Burnley. “Sean’s focus on serving customers and simplifying the business has established a firm foundation on which we can build. Since I returned to Asda last year, I have been encouraged by the passion and professionalism of our colleagues and look forward to leading this terrific team.”
Burnley and Clarke will work closely “to ensure a smooth transition and deliver the best Christmas ever for our customers,” the Leeds, West Yorkshire-based company pledged.